Dancing in the Rain
by halliegirl
Summary: "I'm me, no one else. You're you, no one else. I love you, and you love me." In the rain, they could finally be who they really were. Sheelos. Extremely sappy fic of my favorite ToS pairing. You've been warned.


Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, even if I wish I did. (I can't believe I almost forgot the disclaimer this time!)

Dancing in the Rain

A flash of lightning lit up the decorated streets of Meltokio, followed by the soft patter of rain from the storm. Inside of a particular mansion in the Noble's Quarter, a beautiful young woman awakened, having been startled awake by the clapping of thunder that followed afterward. Sheena Fujibayashi caught her breath and quickly calmed down. Even now she was still sensitive to the sight and sounds that the lightning could make when it danced across the heavens. The memories of long ago haunted her still; a nightmare never to be forgotten.

She sat up slowly, wiping the sweat from her brow and quietly made her way over to the window, not desiring to awaken anyone else in the room. Sheena glanced behind her when she reached the window, wanting to make sure the other occupants of the room still slept.

Her eyes fell upon a lovely half-elven woman with silvery hair and a pretty young girl with a flowery barrette in her sandy-colored hair. Neither had seemed to stir from their slumber. On the other side of the rather large room a cute blonde and little pig-tailed girl also lay asleep. She sighed in relief, then turning to peer outside. Rain pounded back against the window. Sheena reached out a hand and placed it against the glass, feeling the gentle vibrations from the rain tapping against it from the other side.

The raven-haired girl was thankful that they'd decided to all share a room this time. The Chosen one had at first insisted that they could stay in separate rooms. After all, his mansion was extremely large and could more than accommodate everyone, but they all decided to bunk up and share rooms. Possibly just to relive fond memories from their travels together. Even Zelos Wilder, the Chosen One himself had relented and decided to spend part of the night in the room with the others, visiting with everyone.

Sheena didn't know how long she had been standing there, staring out into the rainy night. But soon, much to her relief she realized that there was no more lightning. It was now only Sheena, the night and the rain and she realized that she was no longer tired. How could she possibly be? Thoughts of those she loved gone and present, and memories of her past both painful and happy had now filled her. It overwhelmed her. Her hand clenched into a fist and she bit her lip. Tears welled up in her eyes and suddenly the room felt so small. She felt as though she had been trapped in this tiny room, forever cursed to be tormented by her past. She gazed longingly outside.

Reaching up, she pulled the hair-tie out and her midnight-colored hair fell in waves down her shoulders. As if it was a sign from some mysterious force, the streetlights flickered on and Sheena found that she could no longer resist the call of freedom from her confines.

And so it was, that night the young Mizuho ninja tip-toed out her bedroom door, dressed in only her white cotton nightgown and made her way down the stairs. She reached the door and hesitantly looked back, unsure of whether she should reach forward and open the door to take a step out into the unknown and liberate herself or stay behind in the safe confinement of the Chosen One's manor. Once Sheena had assured herself that everyone was asleep and that she wasn't going to run the risk of letting her guard down only to make a fool of herself, she opened the door to the storm outside and embraced the rain with her arms held out.

One step after another, her pace quickened until she reached the center of Meltokio's streets which now glistened in the lights and the rain. Her hands fell to her sides. Sheena closed her eyes and lifted her head and allowed the rain to caress her face, washing everything away. For the first time that she could remember, a true smile graced her lips. She was no longer Sheena Fujibayashi, a struggling chief of a ninja village, an outcast who struggled with the guilt and remorse of causing so much harm to her beloved friends and family, or an orphan who had been abandoned as a toddler in a wicked and deadly forest. Her defenses crumbled as her previous self along with her worries and doubts washed away in the rain. She was now just a simple girl standing bare in the rain, revealing her very soul to anyone who would happen to take a glimpse. A girl completely unaware and vulnerable to the world around her and all the possible dangers it could pose. But even if only for that one moment, it was all right. Sheena had yearned for such a moment all her life. She had long desired the freedom to be the sweet, simple girl that she truly was. _I'm finally me… Just me and no one else. _

The rain had soaked her completely now; the wet white fabric plastered itself to her body but she didn't care. She lifted her arms again and twirled around, laughing quietly as she danced in the dim light out on the wet pavement. She spun around, twisted, bounded and leapt in the air playfully.

Oblivious to everything around her, she didn't notice a pair of sapphire eyes gleaming in the darkness of the second floor of the Chosen's manor as they stared down at her. She didn't see a light flicker, signaling that someone was awake. She also didn't hear the opening and closing of the very doors she herself had fled through not long ago.

It was when a warm hand touched her shoulder gently that she realized she wasn't alone, anymore. She turned quickly, startled when her beautiful brown eyes locked with the Chosen's own dazzling blue ones. Sheena stopped and hugged herself, looking away. "Zelos, I didn't know you were awake." Her voice was shaky, having been taken completely off guard.

The redheaded Chosen smiled slightly and tilted his own head back, allowing the rain to soak through his fiery locks. "I couldn't sleep to be honest."

Her eyes returned to the handsome man before her. It was then that Sheena realized that the Chosen was only wearing his light-colored slacks, the trademark pink vest missing. She caught herself staring and blushed. "Shouldn't you be wearing something a bit more… suitable for the weather?" She asked incredulously.

"Look who's talking, Hunny," Zelos returned pointing to the white, now transparent gown she was wearing. "Not that I don't like the new and improved bold and brazen banshee."

"It's n-not like that!" Sheena shrieked, smacking him over the head. "Pervert!"

"Ow, Sheena!" He whined.

"It's not like I wanted you to come out here with me anyway, jeez!" The ninja muttered. "I was… I was just…"

His expression mellowed and he stared up into the sky. "It looked nice."

"Huh?" Sheena stared at the Chosen in confusion.

"I was watching you before. You looked so serene. So… liberated." A ghost of a smile appeared on Zelos' face. "And so I wondered if I joined you… maybe I could be set free myself."

At his words, her eyes widened and she turned to him again. "Zelos…" This was a side to him that she hadn't remembered seeing before. When he moved away from her and whispered something, she approached him. "What?"

He still wouldn't face her but repeated himself, just audible enough for her ears. "I'm me and no one else." Zelos then paused, but quickly added. "So even if it's only tonight… let's just be who we really are."

Her response was to take him by the hand, pulling him with her. "Come with me, then." _If I'm just me, then… we can both play together like before._

Zelos' eyes widened in surprise momentarily, but a soft, genuine smile soon emerged. "Let's play." _I'm me, so we can be friends again. _His hold on her hand tightened and he spun around with her in the rain lightheartedly.

Faster and faster around they were spinning, until Sheena tripped and fell into Zelos. They both landed in some wet brush, her covering him and laughing whole-heartedly. When she opened her eyes, she saw how close they were to each other. Her heart started pounding heavily and she began to pull away. "S-sorry…"

"Don't." His tone was soft, pleading. Gone from his face was the normal mask he wore, replaced by an expression of so many emotions he had been too afraid to show for so long. _I'm me tonight, no one else. So even if it's just for now, even if it's hopeless for the Chosen to fall in love…_

Sheena stopped and just stared at him, a blush tinting her cheeks. _I'm just me, no one else. So it's okay, right? _"Zelos?" She bit her lip and leaned closer. "I… don't…"

"I'm just me. You're just you. That's it." His hand reached up to caress her face. "Tonight, there's no Chosen. There's no chief of Mizuho. And that's why…" He leaned forward and closed the distance between them, kissing her with all the passion that had been long hidden away from her for years. He pulled away just slightly enough to finish what he'd started to say, "That's why I can say I truly love you, no one else," he whispered breathlessly.

Her heart clenched painfully at the bittersweet words and she kissed him back. _I… I love him! _Tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I love you, too," she whimpered. _Why did life have to be so cruel to us?_

Zelos sat up, and he pulled her to him, holding her tightly as she cried. "I'm me, and you're you," he repeated, steeling himself against the sadness. "I love you, you love me. And someday we will be no one else." He smiled down at her in the rain.

Sheena smiled back, knowing it was true.

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: So I have to admit that this incredibly sappy piece was inspired by a scene from the show The Tudors. For anyone who has seen the show, the title of this story should have given it away. That's all I'm going to say about it as I don't want to spoil an amazingly wonderful scene. The song during the scene is just so beautiful that while I listened to it a story formed in my mind and it wouldn't stop bothering me until I wrote it down. After you read, you can review if you like. I really hope you enjoyed it!_


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